Vice President Hamid Ansari today demanded “affirmative action” to address problems of identity and security confronting Muslims in line with Narendra Modi government’s official objective of ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas’.
He also stressed that “default by the State or its agents in terms of deprivation, exclusion and discrimination (including failure to provide security) has to be corrected by the State at the earliest and appropriate instruments developed for it.”
Speaking at the golden jubilee celebration of the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an apex forum of Muslim organisations, Mr.Ansari said the challenge was also to develop strategies and methodologies to address the issues confronting Muslims such as empowerment, getting equitable share in states wealth and fair share in decision making process.
“The official objective of ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas’ is commendable. A pre-requisite for this is affirmative action to ensure a common starting point and an ability in all to walk at the required pace.
“This ability has to be developed through individual, social and governmental initiatives that fructify on the ground. Programmes have been made in abundance. The need of the hour is their implementation,” Mr.Ansari said.
Observing that the imperative of social peace is political sagacity, the Vice President said the Indian experience of a large Muslim minority living in secular polity should be a model for others to emulate.
Referring to Kundu report, commissioned to review the implementation of the Sachar Committee report on welfare of Muslim community, he said the report, given in September last year, has asserted that “development for the Muslim minority must be built on a bed-rock of a sense of security.”
Turning his attention to the community, he said major sections of it remained trapped in a vicious circle, and in a “culturally defensive posture that hinders self advancement .... Modernity is a tainted expression.”
